The New England Patriots are entering a new era under head coach Mike Vrabel. New England got straight to work retooling the roster in free agency. The Patriots brought in talented players like Carlton Davis III and Milton Williams to improve the defense. Now Vrabel is ready to start clearing out some players from the previous regime.

The Patriots are reportedly open to trading players from the previous coaching staff per NFL insider Jordan Schultz. One name to watch ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft is WR Kayshon Boutte.

Boutte is still very young, turning 23 years old in May. He was a star at LSU and has not made too much of an impact in New England.

Boutte logged 43 receptions for 589 yards and three touchdowns during the 2024 season. He still has two years left on his rookie contract at roughly $1 million per season. That should make it easy for nearly any NFL team to add him to their roster.

It is not surprising that Vrabel wants to clean house, especially at the wide receiver position. The Patriots have plenty of receivers already on the roster, including DeMario Douglas, Ja'Lynn Polk, and Javon Baker. They also acquired veteran Stefon Diggs on a $69 million contract during free agency.

It is possible that multiple NFL teams could be interested in Boutte. If no trade materializes, the Patriots may end up cutting Boutte instead.

Will the Patriots draft a wide receiver during the 2025 NFL Draft?

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Does New England's willingness to trade Kayshon Boutte suggest they will draft a receiver during the 2025 NFL Draft?

The Patriots have a few pressing needs heading into the draft, and wide receiver is one of them.

New England desperately needs to upgrade their offensive line, particularly at left tackle. They could also use more talent at wide receiver and at edge rusher. Thankfully, the 2025 draft class is deep at all of those positions.

The Patriots have been closely linked with LSU tackle Will Campbell at the fourth overall pick. If that pick does happen, New England will need to wait until day two to address the receiver and edge rusher positions.

Patriots fans should keep their eyes on second-round receivers like Tre Harris, Jalen Royals, Jayden Higgins, and Kyle Williams.